Russian midfielder Arsen Zakharyan has revealed he joined Real Sociedad over Chelsea as he found the Spanish side “more interesting”.
AS cover the Russian today and an upcoming documentary about him and how his move to La Real came about this summer.
He joined them in a €13m deal from Dynamo Moscow in August after months of speculation about his future and claims various clubs around Europe were interested in him.
He eventually ended up at Sociedad, with the upcoming documentary detailing how he ‘pushed hard’ for the move, signing a contract worth €1.4m per year for six years that includes a €75m release clause.
The move was a complicated one to get over the line, particularly thanks to the interest from elsewhere, namely Chelsea, a move it seems he was not keen on.
“I realised that I was already a Real player when I signed,” he is quoted as saying.
“When I couldn’t fly for the first time, I didn’t understand anything. I thought I could fail. I didn’t understand anything about my future, I was in limbo.
“Fortunately, everything worked out. I was nervous, very nervous. For me it was more interesting to come to Real than to Chelsea. It was also a more realistic option. And here I am.”
AS then add that, curiously, the journalist doing the documentary, Nobel Arustamyan, on the player was also involved in the talks to move him on from Dinamo.
That saw him involved in talks with clubs around Europe about a potential transfer, including Chelsea, with Zakharyan’s agents having brought him into the mix to help proceedings.
“I contacted his agent and asked him what he had to do, and he told me that they wanted to try in Europe. They were already in contact with some clubs like Bayer Leverkusen,” he added.
“Last year I was already involved in negotiations with Chelsea. A year ago, Real were already interested in signing the player, but they didn’t dare to make a written offer for internal reasons, not only football ones.
“Now they have changed their mind. Vlado Lemich, who brought Modric to Spain and Alexander Isak, was a key player in the deal. I know him and he confirmed Real’s interest. Zakharyan knew about Real and the club’s interest. It was as if they had known each other for a long time.
“Chelsea wanted him after he played for a while in France, but Real was the most insistent.”
